Changing Tactics
by FallAway
Summary: AU. She forgave Logan and told Jess she’s in love with him. But wait. Rewind. Let’s try and play it out differently this time. Lit. ON HIATUS.
1. As You Wish

Summary: AU. She forgave Logan and told Jess she's in love with him. But wait. Rewind. Let's try and play it out differently this time. Lit.

Disclaimer: Do you really think I own these characters? Really? Good God.

A/N: Alright, so … I knew that Jess' return was going to be angsty. I knew that and I was prepared for it. Or at least I thought I was. But then seeing them together again, seeing their chemistry and watching his face crumble when Rory told him she was in love with Logan … I'll admit, I cried. And I haven't been this upset over that show since the "no" scene.

So here's the Sam take on the past two episodes, because really, would the Rory we all fell in love with have ever forgiven Logan? Really? I think not. Maybe I'm crazy, but that's not the girl I remember. Reviews are love, and yes, this is my third continuation fic that I'm starting in this fandom/pairing in a time span of two weeks and yes, I will find a way to keep up with all of them. Patience is a virtue, my friends.

Huge, huge thanks to Nina for making me transcripts from 6.18 and being so patient with me throughout that whole process. She gets huggles and kisses and thank you fic as soon as she gives me her requirements. Lots of dialogue from the episodes is used in this, so you'll recognize quite a bit of it.

And if I don't get any reviews for this I won't bother with continuing it. ;)

--

"No."

"Rory, come on," Logan sighed and took a step closer to her. She folded her arms tighter across her chest and backed up instinctively, shaking her head.

"No, Logan."

"When have I ever given you reason not to trust me?"

"When you had sex with an entire bridal party!" she practically screamed, arms dropping to her sides in frustration. "How can you not see where I'm coming from?"

"I didn't know we were still together! I thought we'd broken up! Did you hear a word of anything I just said?"

"All I heard was a hell of a lot of bullshit to try and get your girlfriend back. But guess what, Logan? I'm done. With you, with us, with the drinking and the partying and the fights; all of it."

"Rory…" he took another step toward her and she glared at him icily, blue eyes frozen over, indifference and anger battling for dominance in her gaze.

"You need to leave. I'll be by tomorrow to pick up my stuff."

Logan stared at her as she turned around and stormed back into her new-old-apartment, a hopeful look dawning on his face when she shrieked in disgust and backed into the doorway.

The look faded when he heard Paris and Doyle's mumbled apologies as Rory walked back into the room and locked the door behind her.

--

It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders when she set her key on the counter. Despite the slight feeling of regret that washed over her with the action, the overwhelming relief and freedom that came with it was enough to make her smile.

Rory sighed and looked around the apartment one last time, checking every drawer and corner for anything that was ever hers. She found a book lying on the floor next to her side of the bed – cringed at the description her mind had come up with – and carefully picked the book up as her blue orbs flooded with recognition.

_The Subsect._

She bit her lip and sank down onto the mattress, flipping through the pages for the first and millionth time since she'd received the book from the author himself. She'd read it more times than she could remember, dog-earing certain pages that stood out to her for one reason or another. Despite the copy being almost brand new, it looked worn and well-read and she would've called him to ask him to write in it for her if it wasn't his words that were typed onto the thin paper.

The front door opened with a soft, but audible, click. She was so caught up in reviewing her favorite passages (which, to be honest, could be found on almost every page) that she didn't notice the intrusion until she saw a head of blond hair above the top of the book cover.

"Figured you'd be done by now," Logan said quietly. He tossed his keys onto his bureau and Rory pursed her lips, shutting the book and gently putting it in her jacket pocket.

"Wanted to do one last sweep," she explained coldly. "If you find anything you can send it to me."

He chuckled mirthlessly as he carelessly tossed his jacket onto the bed and ran his hands through his hair in exasperation. "We're still going to see each other, Ace."

"Doesn't mean we have to be civil," Rory retorted. She gracefully stood from the bed and walked out of the room, grabbing her purse from its position by the door and letting her eyes triple-check the place as she walked out.

She got as far as the elevator before he put a hand on her arm in an attempt to stop her.

"Don't touch me," she bit out. Logan jerked his hand back as though he had been stung. _Like a jellyfish_, she thought, and the healing process would be twice as perverse as the wound.

"Ace," he pleaded. Rory leveled a glare with him and crossed her arms over her chest defiantly.

"And don't call me that," she hissed. Her cell phone rang and she shot him one last glance before pulling it out of her bag and stepping onto the elevator.

The metal doors made his form grow thinner and thinner as they slid closed, and she let out a relieved sigh when he was no longer in sight, one hand glued to her cell phone and the other affectionately grasping the book in her pocket.

--

"So you work for a publishing house."

"Yeah," Jess chuckled and sat back in his desk. "I take it you got my letter?"

"Kirk delivered it this morning," Luke said gravely. Jess smirked.

"He still scared of me?"

"I have no idea. He handed me your letter separately, though. I half-expected it to explode from the look on his face."

"Good to know some things never change," Jess grinned. His co-workers wandered into the publishing house, loudly conversing over the group of girls they'd just seen on the sidewalk and he rolled his eyes. "Hold on," he muttered. When he turned around to shout at the guys to shut up they had already made their way upstairs. He rolled his eyes and turned back to the conversation.

"Well, look, I just wanted to call and tell you I got the letter; check in, you know," Luke said awkwardly. Jess nodded to himself and idly tapped his pen against his desk.

"I know," he returned.

"Good. So you're good?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Good; things are good," Luke agreed. Jess nodded again and smirked a little.

"So …" he sighed quietly. "How's she doing?"

Luke hesitated for a fraction of a moment. "Last time I checked, she was good."

"Still at Yale?"

"Still at Yale," Luke confirmed. Jess smiled at the pen that was tapping steadily against his desk and nodded.

"Good. If you see her…"

"I'll tell her, Jess."

"Thanks."

--

"Paris! Why does the living room smell like a garden?" Rory shouted. She sighed and dropped her bag on the floor. When she stood up and breathed through her nose again she scrunched it up in disgust and waved her hand in front of her face. A weekend in Stars Hollow had not prepared her for an overly-flower-scented apartment when she got home.

"There was an odd smell coming from the corner and I ran out of the good spray so I had to settle for botanical garden dream," Paris replied as she walked into the room. "I know, it's terrible, but you'd love it if you had been here for the previous smell."

"Did something die in the wall again?"

"Possibly," Paris nodded, "The manager claims they're looking into it."

"Oh," Rory nodded in acknowledgement. "Botanical garden dream, then?"

"Yup."

"Okay," Rory grinned and picked up her bag to carry it into her room. "Did I miss anything exciting while I was gone?"

"Doyle moved into a hotel for a night because we got into another argument."

"Paris, that's awful."

"We worked it out. He's in class right now. Oh, and Pinocchio stopped by a few times. Seems he lost his puppet master," Paris said wryly. Rory rolled her eyes and sat down on her bed.

"What'd he say?"

"The usual," she shrugged and affected a deep voice, "Tell Rory I stopped by; I love her; I'm sorry." She shrugged again. Rory groaned.

"How long until he gives up?"

"He was rather persistent the last time you two broke up."

"Hmph," Rory pouted. After a pause, "I'm swearing off men."

"Hallelujah," Paris agreed.

--

She stared blankly at the wall and listened closely to her mother's words in confusion. "The real Paul Anka?"

"The dog Paul Anka," Lorelai clarified. Rory blinked and listened to the rest of the story, stopping it at random intervals to clarify as to which Paul Anka her mother was referring to. By the time she hung up she was convinced Lorelai had finally gone off the deep end and forgotten how to swim.

Rory shook the somewhat-disturbing thoughts of her mother's dream from her head and grabbed her purse to go to the newsroom. They had a little more than twelve hours until deadline and she had yet to complete her ex-boyfriend's assignment on text book pricing for the new edition of the paper.

She didn't notice the invitation lying in the stack of mail by the door.

--

Two days later, Luke was staring at the painting in front of him with absolute confusion. The things that some people considered art just baffled him. This particular picture seemed to have no actual point. There was no title, either, which only heightened his annoyance with the new generation and their lack of shape. What was the point of looking at art if you couldn't even _pretend_ to understand it?

"So my eyes don't deceive me."

He blinked and turned around, ignoring his nephew's ever-present, always-cocky smirk. "First thing's first, what the hell is that?"

"It's an abstract painting."

"But what is it supposed to be?"

"Check the title," Jess shrugged.

"I did; it's called Untitled."

"There you go."

"I give up," Luke rolled his eyes and fought the urge to stare at the painting again. He wouldn't ever figure it out, so attempting to do so would only end in pain on his end.

"So you got the invite," Jess commented.

Luke nodded, "I got the invite."

"I guess I didn't think you'd come."

"You guessed wrong, nephew."

"Cool," Jess nodded and gestured around the room, "So you want the tour?"

--

He walked around the corner and glanced disinterestedly at the crowd of people that was milling around the room, chatting excitedly with each other. His eyes fell on a familiar face and he stopped dead in his tracks, hands clenching nervously in his pockets.

"Well isn't this just a day of surprises?" he drawled. She smiled at him and he returned the gesture, his hands relaxing almost immediately at the bright look in her eyes.

"I didn't RSVP," Rory shrugged. "Sorry."

"Ah, this isn't an RSVP thing," Jess promised. "Showing up's cool."

"Good," she grinned. He grinned in turn and she looked around the room in interest. "So this is Truncheon books."

"Yeah, this is Truncheon," he nodded.

"I like it," she nodded. "It makes me feel like I instantly want to create something. Give me a pen. Give me a paint brush." She blinked, "That's Luke."

Jess nodded and started leading her toward his uncle. "Yeah, there's a definite 'Jess Mariano, this is your life' vibe here today." He turned his attention to his uncle and didn't notice the way Rory nervously bit her lip and rocked back on her heels.

--

Jess promised to meet his coworkers at the bar later, waving them off as his attention focused on the last person left in the store. She was sitting with her back to him, her attention focused entirely on the book she held open in her hands. He smirked to himself and grabbed a stool, pulling it over and plunking down next to her.

"You know, you don't have to read it again," he smiled at her. Rory closed the book and looked at him, a shallow blush rising in her cheeks.

"I know I don't," she turned to face him and they both stilled when their knees touched fleetingly. Jess shook it off and fell back into the conversation, focusing on the novella that was still being grasped tightly in between her palms.

"God, there are so many things I would change in it," he commented as he leaned closer to her.

"Like what?" she smiled.

"I'd keep the back cover. Everything else goes," he made a sweeping gesture with his hands and she chuckled.

"You know why I love your book?"

"Why?"

"It doesn't remind me of anything. It's not a rip-off," she explained, "It's just you."

"High praise, Miss Yale Editor," he teased. Rory reddened adorably.

"Yeah, well, I don't get to write as much as I would like," she shrugged. "I'm mostly assigning, motivating, hand-holding, and re-writing," she nodded.

"And you love it. Every minute of it," he smirked. "Come on, tell me you don't."

"I do," she nodded, "I do love it. It's exciting."

"You look happier than when I saw you last," Jess said quietly. He nervously rested his hands on his knees, consequently brushing his fingers against her skin and she bit the inside of her lip nervously.

"I am," she agreed.

"So you fixed everything?" he smirked and waved his hands in a jazz-like fashion, earning a smile from her.

"Yeah, everything's fixed."

"I'm glad you're here," he said huskily, brown eyes locking onto blue as he leaned closer to her.

"Me too," she whispered. Their lips met a moment later and she shivered from the familiar feeling of his lips on hers. He moved his hand to her elbow, brushing his tongue across the seam of her mouth faintly, barely a ghost of a touch as she raised her hand to his face and cupped his cheek gently.

Rory broke away first and breathed in and out shallowly, resting her forehead against his and closing her eyes for a moment. She opened them again and smiled shyly at him, that giddy high school feeling filling her senses as she watched him try and catch his own breath.

"Hi," she whispered, quietly. Her breath brushed across his mouth in a whisper and he swallowed thickly, leaning in and capturing her lips for another kiss.

Jess smiled when he pulled back from her, his hands resting comfortably on her hips. "Hi," he returned quietly. Rory smiled at him again and he tugged lightly at her belt loops, attaching his lips to her neck as she straddled his lap.

She squirmed to make herself more comfortable and let out a gasp when he found that spot behind her ear, that spot that Logan had only found once and neglected after that. She attempted to say his name when he trailed hot, open-mouthed kisses across the angle of her jaw, but the sound was lost against his tongue when he met her mouth again.

Jess tightened his grip on her waist and pulled her closer, moaning quietly when she scraped her nails across his scalp and pressed her hips against his.

"How far are we from your apartment?" she gasped when they parted. Her eyes were a sultry shade of blue he had never seen on her before and he buried his face in the crook of her neck, groaning against her skin. Rory ran her fingers through his hair soothingly, pressing chaste kisses against his temple while he regained his bearings.

"I have a bed upstairs," he murmured against her ear. She smiled and impatiently tugged him back for another kiss before climbing off his lap and holding her hands out expectantly.

He raised an eyebrow, "Here?"

"Why not?" she shrugged daintily. "I don't think I have the patience for a car ride to your place," she grinned at him. Jess bit his lip and stood up, intertwining their fingers and kissing her again as he started backing up the stairs.

She giggled when they tripped over almost every step, refusing to detach her mouth from his even when they both fell and landed in a tangled mess of limbs on the landing at the top of the stairs.

--

Rory sighed against his neck and pressed kisses all along his shoulder, laughing quietly in his ear when she took it gently between her teeth. Jess ran his hand down her spine and she closed her eyes, shivering at the sensation. Her teeth nipped at his earlobe again and she soothed the bite with her tongue before settling down next to him and resting her head on his chest.

"So tell me why we never did that in Stars Hollow?"

He laughed and looked down at her, adjusting on the pillow until he could see her comfortably. She smiled up at him and pressed a kiss to his chin, idly tracing patterns across his stomach with her hand.

"Beats me," he whispered as their lips met softly, slowly. He wrapped his arm around her waist tighter, groaning sensually against her mouth when her hand slipped past his stomach and beneath the sheets.

"Mm," she sighed when they parted, adjusting until she was straddling him, hands resting lightly on his chest. "Was that my fault?" she grinned and lowered her head like she was going to kiss him, her mouth hovering over his for a moment before traveling lower and trailing across his pulse point.

It quickened beneath her lips and she smiled against his skin.

"Ya know, I vaguely recall a few instances where you stopped us before we did anything," he groaned when she bit down on his nipple, "Interesting," he breathed. His hands tangled in her hair and Rory smiled up at him, crawling back up his body and placing a chaste kiss against his mouth.

"Silly me," she giggled breathily.

Jess grinned and sat up, carrying her with him and attaching his mouth to her neck. "I guess," he ran his tongue across her pulse point, "We'll just have to," and kissed her neck, "Make up for," he nipped at her collarbone, tightening his grip on her hips, "Lost time," he breathed against her breast.

--

Rory pressed a kiss against his throat, carefully climbing out of bed so as not to wake him. She tugged his shirt on and breathed in deeply, a giddy smile falling across her lips as she groped around on the floor for her cell phone. Her hand closed over the small object a moment later and she quietly snuck out of the room, making her way into the bathroom across the hall.

Her mother answered the phone groggily and she winced slightly.

"Hey, mom," she whispered. Lorelai yawned and returned the greeting.

"Is everything okay, sweets? You're not usually one to call at …" Rory listened as she shifted around in the bed to see the clock. "One in the morning? Why are you calling at one in the morning?"

"I need to tell you something."

"I gathered that."

"And I need you to promise you won't freak out when I do."

"But sweetie, if you're shipping of to Iraq then I think I'm entitled to at least a small hissy fit." Rory rolled her eyes.

"I slept with Jess," she blurted. The line went quiet and then Lorelai coughed loudly into the phone.

"I'm sorry … what?"

"I slept with Jess," Rory whispered again.

"When did this happen?"

"A couple hours ago."

"A couple … Rory!"

"I know," she sighed and picked at the hem of his shirt. She could still smell his cologne in the fabric and it made her smile in spite of the conversation she was having at the moment.

"Philadelphia? Really? This isn't just a late, misplaced April Fool's joke?"

"No, it's not. I'm really in Philadelphia."

"And you slept with Jess."

"Three times."

"Oh. Damn."

After a pause, "Are you okay?"

"That depends. Are you?"

"Never been better," Rory said seriously.

"Well then yay for Jess sex."

"Please don't ever say that again."

"Yeah, didn't feel right."

"Good," Rory laughed quietly and leaned back against the wall, taking a deep breath. "I'll call you tomorrow when things are a little more … defined."

"Definition is good. Send me a dictionary if it makes things easier."

"Will do. Don't dream about vortexes tonight."

"Don't get pregnant."

"Night, mom."

"Night, Rory."

Rory hung up the phone with a smile. She bit her lip and held the phone firmly between her palms, biting down on the speaker to keep from giggling. She opened the door and jumped when Jess leaned against the doorframe, an amused smirk on his face. He chuckled lightly and apologized for scaring her.

"No, I just … must you sneak around in the dark like that?"

Jess considered the question for the moment and then smiled slowly. "No, but it makes life fun." She giggled before she could stop herself and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him soundly.

"Take me to bed, Dodger."

"As you wish."


	2. Make It Work

-1Disclaimer: …No.

A/N: Wow. Almost forty reviews in less than twenty-four hours … that is absolutely insane. I have NEVER gotten that large of a response out of one of my fics before, so yay for that. And those of you who proposed (Nicolle, Selina): it is my very sad duty to inform you that if I were to agree to those proposals Hider would probably kill me. And you, as well. (She's very territorial.)

But anyway! Thank you all so much for the reviews; seriously, it made my day to come home and see them all in my inbox. Now … leave another one. Please?

--

She murmured unintelligibly and rolled over, burying her face against his chest while he tightened his grip on her waist. She groaned when that didn't make the whispering stop – it only seemed to increase – and wrapped her arm around him tightly as she squinted behind her eyelids and attempted to block out the noise.

"Jess," she whispered finally, giving up on the prospect of falling back asleep. Jess buried his face in her hair and groaned quietly, murmuring against her ear. Rory furrowed her brow in confusion. "Huh?"

"If you ignore them they'll go away," he said again, kissing her ear lobe lightly. He tightened his grip on her waist and she cuddled closer to him under the sheets, nodding tiredly.

"Mmk," she agreed, softly. She started to drift off again when she felt someone watching her. She cracked open an eye and jumped a little when she saw an unassuming white male staring back at her curiously, his hands overlapping on the top of his head.

"Jess," she said softly, biting his shoulder to get his attention. He grunted and she giggled quietly. "We have a visitor." Jess groaned against her skin and pressed a kiss against her bare shoulder before turning over and blearily glaring at his co-worker.

"Starting a career in voyeurism, Matt?"

The guy shrugged and grinned a little, dropping his hands to his sides. "You must be the girl," he commented to Rory. She raised an eyebrow at Jess, more awake now, and poked him in the stomach.

"Have you been spreading lies about me?"

"Now why would I ever do a thing like that?" he rolled his eyes. She giggled and looked back at the guy – Matt – and smiled.

"Rory Gilmore," she introduced herself. Matt nodded.

"Yup, you're the girl. Matt Thomas," he returned, waving slightly. Rory smiled at him again and looked up at Jess, who was still glaring at her new friend.

"Is there something you need to tell me?" she whispered, grinning. Jess turned his attention back to her and pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose, sighing.

"Lots, actually."

"Mm," she smiled softly and kissed him gently, "Looking forward to it."

"Then we need to get him," he gestured toward Matt with a jerk of his head, "Out of here so we can get dressed and go to my place."

"Now, now," she wagged a finger at him playfully. "Didn't your mother ever teach you to share?"

"To share my toys? Yes. My girl? No." Rory smiled at the phrase and bit back a giggle, turning her attention back toward Matt.

"Has he told you what an awful human being I am?"

"More like how awesome you are," Matt shrugged. "He tends to ramble about that town you grew up in and you always end up in the conversation somehow." She smirked.

"You? Rambling?" Jess glared at her and she giggled brightly, falling back on the bed and pulling the sheet up tighter around her chest. Jess noticed her lack of attire and turned over again, sitting up quickly.

"Don't you have something to edit?"

"Nope, got all my editing done this morning."

"Inventory?"

"Chris has that covered."

"Need to mail anything?"

"Nope."

"Wanna become a writer?"

"Uh…"

"Great," Jess nodded, waving his hands in a shooing gesture. "Go do that, then. Be the next Dickens." Rory bit her lip and laughed when Matt's eyes widened in realization and he nodded quickly, waving goodbye and leaving the room.

Jess rolled his eyes and fell back on the mattress with a sigh. He turned to look at her and she pouted playfully.

"That wasn't very nice," she chastised softly. He chuckled and snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her closer and kissing her soundly. Rory looped her arms around his neck and sighed against his mouth, pressing her chest tightly against his.

"He'll get over it," Jess whispered, groaning against her neck when she slid underneath him and wrapped her legs around his waist.

--

"I don't have spare clothes for you to wear," he whispered into her shoulder. She turned her head to look at him and he propped himself up on his elbow, looking down at her as he spread the fingers of his left hand to span her stomach.

Rory traced his forearm with her index finger, following the movement with her eyes. She traced her hand back down his chest and looked up at him sheepishly. Her cheeks reddened and he smirked slightly, leaning down to capture her mouth with his.

"There's a bag in my trunk," she admitted quietly. Jess widened his eyes and appraised her – bottom lip between her teeth, cheeks pink with embarrassment, blue eyes bright – and grinned.

"Rather assumptuous, aren't we?"

"Maybe a little," she pinched her fingers together and smiled innocently at him.

Jess hummed as their lips met again. He traced her sides delicately with his fingers, eventually resting his palms against the soft curves of her hips. Rory pulled away first, her breathing erratic, and put her hands on his chest.

"Go down and get it for me?" she smiled adorably. "I need to shower."

"Not like I'd let you go down there looking like," he raked his gaze up and down her body, "_That_, anyway."

"Like what?"

"Like you've been freshly fucked," he laughed low against her ear and nipped at the tender skin, nuzzling his nose into her hair. Rory swatted at him.

"Pig," she gasped as he suckled her pulse point.

"You love it," he retorted. She hummed and ran her fingers through his hair before shoving him off of her and snuggling down into the mattress further.

"My keys are in my pants pocket."

He sighed, "Fine." He tugged on his boxers and clothes from yesterday, running a hand through his hair in an attempt to repair some of the damage done to it. "Slave-driver," he threw over his shoulder as he left the room. Rory giggled and turned over onto her back, staring at the ceiling with a smile.

She squealed happily and buried her face in the pillow, kicking her legs frantically and laughing into the cotton.

--

She bounced happily out of the coffee shop and wrapped her hand in his as they walked back to his car, her own having been left in its parking space in front of the publishing house. He pressed a kiss against her temple and walked around the car.

"I'm shocked you didn't beg me for coffee as soon as you woke up," he laughed and unlocked the doors, sliding into the driver's seat as she impatiently gulped at the latte in her hands.

"I was distracted by … other … things," she decided finally. A faint blush rose in her cheeks and he took a moment to just look at her, to notice the subtle changes in her.

(She'd gotten bangs, but he could still make her blush. It was the same Rory he fell in love with.)

"So tell me something," she said after he pulled away from the curb. Jess raised an eyebrow and nodded a little, grip tightening on the steering wheel. Rory's eyes were drawn to the movement at first, but she quickly shook her head and focused her attention on the windshield. "How is it that all of your friends know who I am?"

He rolled his eyes and adjusted in the seat. "Matt was digging through my books one day and found …"

"Found … your secret shrine to Rand?"

Jess glared at her, "We are not having that conversation again."

"Fine," she pouted. "What'd he find?"

He pulled up in front of his building and killed the engine, looking over at her warily. Rory smiled softly at him and he sighed, looking back at the steering wheel and tapping his fingers against it nervously.

"He found a picture of you that Lane took that afternoon on the bridge."

She blinked and her jaw dropped open. Her lungs were suddenly begging for air and she swallowed thickly. _Oh_, she thought. _Oh_.

She remembered that afternoon. She and Lane and Jess had spent hours on the bridge arguing over music and taking candid pictures of each other with the disposable camera Lane had bought, laughing hysterically when Rory had shoved Jess into the lake.

"You still have that?"

"Yeah," he shrugged. Jess stepped out of the car a second later and Rory bit her lip, closing her eyes for a moment before getting out and tossing her coffee cup in the trash can that was sitting on the sidewalk, twining her fingers with his as he led her into his apartment building.

She pressed her forehead between his shoulder blades while he deftly unlocked his door, feeling the movement of his muscles beneath her skin. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist, making it difficult for him to walk into the apartment.

"If I trip and break my neck, I'm blaming you."

"And I'll push around in your wheel chair and listen to your complaints about paralysis. Sounds perfectly fine to me."

"Paralysis would affect you, too, if we plan for this to continue in the future."

Rory stopped dead in her tracks, letting go of him as he dropped her bag on the couch and turned to face her. Jess noticed her blank expression and nodded as he sank down onto the cushions, sighing heavily.

"Guess it's time for that talk, now, huh?"

"Guess so," she agreed. She sat down on the coffee table in front of him and tucked her hair behind her ears, resting her chin on her hands and staring expectantly at him.

"Yale."

"Truncheon."

"Lorelai," he sighed. "And … what happened with that guy? Logan?"

Rory blanched at the name and sat back, locking her elbows behind her to hold her up while her palms glued to the fake wood of the coffee table. She shook her head and focused her eyes on his.

"I told you I fixed everything," she said quietly. Jess nodded and crossed his arms over his chest lazily, not really defensive but not really open, either. She inwardly cringed at the familiarity of the pose.

"I want this to work," he said seriously. His arms relaxed in his lap and he leaned forward, folding his hands together in front of him.

"Me, too," she whispered. Jess leaned forward and kissed her softly, resting his hands on her knees.

"It's three and a half hours," he sighed.

"185.4 miles," she nodded. He smirked.

"Do you Yahoo?" Rory giggled and rested her forehead against his, grounding herself and taking a deep breath. She wanted this to work. (It _had_ to work.)

"Tell me we can work this out," she said seriously. "Don't make me go home knowing this was a one night stand, Jess, don't do that."

"First of all," he held up his index finger, "If you think this is a one night stand then you are clearly in need of intensive therapy." She smiled. "Secondly, we're both crazy for wanting to do this. And third: I want to be with you, Rory. That hasn't changed in the last two years."

"You still have my picture," she teased. Jess blushed and she grinned at the sight, kissing the tip of his nose playfully. She sobered after a moment, "So what does this mean?"

"You tell me."

"We can make it work."

"Okay," he nodded. "Then go call your mother and convince her not to maim your boyfriend. I'd prefer to keep all of my limbs, thank you."

--

She sank into the bed with a dreamy sigh and held the phone to her ear. The monotonous tone of the phone ringing failed to draw her attention and she marveled at how incredibly soft his bed was – much nicer than the one they'd slept in last night – as she squirmed to get even more comfortable.

"Lorelai's House of Whores."

Rory rolled her eyes. "What if I was Grandma?"

"Um," Lorelai paused, "You would've died an untimely death by shock?"

"Horrible woman."

"Ah, yes, but the apple does not fall far from the tree, my friend. So how are things?"

"Things are good."

"Defined?"

"I think so," Rory nodded and trailed her eyes around the bedroom. It was small, but cozy, and the walls were mostly bare save for a few notes that were hanging next to the door.

"Wanna fill mommy in? You know how I hate suspense."

"We're together," Rory offered. She waited for her mother to freak out and winced when the line went silent.

"Three and a half hours," Lorelai said unsurely.

"And 185.4 miles," Rory retorted. "But … I think I've been waiting for this, Mom, and I can't pass it up just because of the distance factor."

"You told Logan you love him."

"Logan is a thing of the past," Rory waved her hand in the air. "It was good while it lasted but it's over now and I think I prefer it that way."

"You said the same thing about Jess."

"What happened to the Jess sex cheers from last night?"

"I thought we decided I shouldn't do those anymore. Remember? Disturbance level threatening to burst the thermometer?"

"Oh. Right," Rory nodded. "Can you just try and accept this, please?"

"I do accept it," Lorelai sighed. "I want you to be happy, and if Jess makes you happy then so be it."

"And on the bright side, at least we know he'll never cheat on me!"

"He's not married, either, so big check in that category."

"They have a category for that?"

"Didn't I ever teach you about the importance of dating a bachelor?"

"Hmm. I don't recall; I must've fallen asleep during that lecture."

"See? Told you the apple didn't fall far. Ignoring mommy's lectures; tsk, tsk." Rory grinned.

"This is going to be okay, right?"

"If you want it badly enough, then it will be."

"I want it bad."

"I know you do," Lorelai smiled.

"I'll be home in a few days."

"Don't get pregnant."

"Don't kill grandma."

"Have fun, sweets."

"Bye, mom," she hung up the phone with a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth and she looked up as Jess walked into the room, hair still damp with a towel around his waist.

"Does she approve?"

"Seems like it," Rory nodded. Jess walked over to the bed and pressed a quick kiss against her mouth before making his way over to his closet.

She bit her lip as she watched him methodically pull hangers out of the small wooden room and drape them over the chair in the corner, idly scratching his head as he searched for something to wear. His muscles worked subtlety beneath his skin and she shivered, thinking of the way they felt under her fingertips.

"There's this awesome pizza place down the block," he said suddenly, snapping her out of her thoughts. "I figure we can go eat and then catch a movie or something."

"Our second official first date?"

He smirked and turned around to face her, nodding. "Something like that, yeah." She grinned and nodded her consent.

This would work.


	3. Natural or Dyed?

Disclaimer: Still no.

A/N: Heh. I was setting up my VCR to tape the new episode of Gilmore Girls so that I could write then and watch it later and … I inadvertently pressed play on the tape and watched the last five minutes of 6x18 again, so … I had to update because heartbroken!Jess is not something I deal with well.

By the way: I love you all so much for all the reviews and enthusiasm this story has received. It makes me feel so good to know that you're reading and enjoying. Wanna leave another one for me after you read this? ;)

--

"Oh, _please_ tell me you're not serious," he stared at her as she moved swiftly through the shelves and stopped in front of a small stack of short novels with a grin on her face. Rory turned to face him and held out her hand expectantly, waiting for him to hand her the pad of paper she'd given him on the sidewalk. Jess shook his head and held the paper behind his back, sticking her pen in his jacket pocket hastily.

"Not gonna happen," he shook his head again. She frowned mightily and looked back at the stack of books, then turned to face him again.

"Isn't the point of writing a book for people to _read_ it?"

"You don't work here," he smirked. "So you don't qualify as a staff member."

"Technicality!"

"Staff recommendations are for people who actually get paid by this fine establishment, Rory."

"You are no fun," she decided.

"I'm sure I'll lose sleep over it," he deadpanned. Rory frowned again and stepped closer to him, gripping the sides of his jacket as she leaned up and kissed him softly.

"Please?" she requested softly. She smiled sweetly at him and slanted her lips over his again as she pulled herself closer. Jess sighed and rested one hand on her waist, the other still firmly clasping the notepad behind his back.

"Is it really that important to you?"

"Yes," she nodded seriously. "Please, Jess?"

He rolled his eyes and handed her the pad of paper and her pen. Rory giggled gleefully and pressed a chaste kiss against his mouth before scribbling out a recommendation and grabbing one of the novels off the stack. She set it on the large shelf in the front of the store with the words 'Staff Recommendations' written on it in large, bold letters, and folded the piece of paper before propping it up in front of the book.

"There," she grinned and he stepped up behind her, hands in his pockets with a bored look on his face.

"Great. Can we go now?"

She swatted him in the arm and then took his hand as they left the store, two quiet beeps indicating their departures as they walked through the security check.

--

The phone clicked on and she groaned in frustration when she couldn't get service from the bed. She slammed her palm against the screen, grinned triumphantly when she got three bars of service, then slumped down in the bed with a huff when she tried to make a call and lost them again.

"I do own a phone."

She looked up at him as he walked into the room and nodded her head in agreement. He crawled onto the mattress next to her and she held up her phone to him as she explained her problem.

"And you can't use my phone … why?"

"Mom doesn't answer if she doesn't recognize the number."

"She afraid it's her death call?"

"Alas, her seven days passed long ago," Rory grinned. "But she's been super paranoid of telemarketers lately."

"Well, they are going to take over the world," he deadpanned.

"Funny," she cocked her head to the side. "That's exactly what she said." Jess glared at her and she smiled cheekily, leaning in and kissing him gently while she gave up on her quest to call Lorelai. It was quiet for a moment before Jess sighed and kissed her again.

"What time do you have to leave tomorrow?" He kept his voice low, nearly breathed the words as they simultaneously sank down under the covers. Rory adjusted her body until she was molded against him, resting her head on his shoulder comfortably.

"I have newspaper stuff to do tomorrow evening, so I should probably get going around noon."

"No classes to sleep through?"

She slapped him in the stomach and laughed, shaking her head as she looked up at him. "My afternoon class was cancelled because the professor is getting surgery."

"Sounds traumatic."

"Could be," she nodded. Jess curled his hand around her shoulders and she pressed a light kiss against his jaw. "You're going to visit in a few days, right?"

"Assuming no one dies between now and then," he agreed. Rory rolled her eyes.

"So pessimistic," she chided.

"Not about everything," he argued lightly.

"Good thing," she yawned. "If you'd been like this during our conversation earlier I would've been forced to shank you."

"Dirty."

"Okay, _Mom_," she mocked. Jess glared at her and she pushed herself up on her elbows before leaning down to kiss him. He wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged until she was half-way on top of him, laughing into her mouth when she almost lost her balance. "One-track mind," she accused.

"So get on the train," he retorted. Rory tangled their hands together above his head and swung a leg over his own until she was straddling him before she leaned down and kissed him again.

--

He pressed her against the car door, effectively shutting it, and she smiled into his mouth as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He trailed a hand up the back of her t-shirt, clenching his fingers against her lower back when she ran her hands through his hair.

"This is ridiculous," she laughed breathlessly and pulled away from him to take a breath. Jess ducked his head and caught her in another kiss, Rory sighing as she melted into the embrace. A moment later she pulled away again and hugged him tightly. "It's a week."

"Yeah," he agreed, pulling away enough to tuck her hair behind her ear. "I'll call you tonight," he promised quietly. She smiled at him and kissed him one more time before pushing him away from her playfully and climbing into her car.

"Bye Rory!"

Turning in her seat slightly, she laughed and waved to the two men standing in the doorway of the publishing house. Jess rolled his eyes and gave her a wink as she backed out of her parking space. Rory smiled and waved, running her raised hand through her hair as she drove in the direction of the freeway.

--

"No, she's not here."

Rory stopped her assent up the stairs and set her bag down quietly, listening as Paris impatiently spoke to whomever it was she was speaking to. When she heard Logan's voice she cringed and picked her bag up again.

"If she's avoiding me, I get it, but if you could just ask her to call me," Logan defended. Paris crossed her arms in front of her chest and rolled her eyes.

"She won't."

"You know me so well," Rory gushed. Startled, Logan turned around quickly and stared at her. She nodded, "Logan. You mind moving? I need to unpack."

"Where were you?"

"Why do you care?"

"Rory," he sighed. Paris stepped aside to let Rory into the apartment and they gave each other a knowing look. Logan stood there helplessly and Paris quietly followed her friend into the apartment, closing the door behind her with a click.

Once inside, Paris turned around frantically and followed Rory into her room. "So?"

"So what?"

"What happened? You were gone for three days, something _must_ have happened."

"A semi-truck went over the freeway railing," Rory nodded. "Lots of fire; very exciting. Of course, I missed the initial crash, but the aftermath was fascinating," she teased. Paris glared.

"You're glowing."

"Really? Maybe the water I bought this morning was nuclear," Rory frowned. "Think I'll get super powers?"

Widening her eyes, Paris dropped her jaw. "Who did you have sex with?"

"What?"

"You're glowing and avoiding talking about it; you slept with someone. Who was it?"

"Oh my God," Rory rolled her eyes and pulled another item of clothing out of her duffel bag. "You are completely cracked."

"If it was a one night stand you wouldn't be this difficult," Paris accused. Her eyes widened again and Rory flinched when she gasped. "You went to Philadelphia, didn't you?"

"Maybe," Rory replied.

"You slept with Jess," Paris shook her head. "No wonder you didn't call, your cell phone probably didn't get service from the bed." Rory blinked.

"How could you possibly know that?"

"Ha! So you _did_ sleep with that James Dean clone!"

"We are not discussing this," Rory groaned and tossed her empty duffel bag into the corner, gathering her dirty clothes up in her arms. She left the room and Paris wandered after her, eagerly asking for details while Rory studiously ignored her.

--

Rory finished explaining her schedule for the next few days and sat down on the couch at the Inn with a sigh. Lorelai pursed her lips together and tried her hardest not to laugh. Rory glared.

"What?"

"You were just there," Lorelai shrugged. "And he's coming to Connecticut tomorrow?"

"I came home four days ago," Rory defended. "He has time off work!" she continued. Lorelai snorted.

"Okay," she nodded.

"You're mocking."

"No, no, I'm not."

"You will when he gets here."

Lorelai grinned. "Are you denying me my mocking privileges?"

"I wouldn't dream of it," Rory rolled her eyes. "Will you at least _try_ to be nice?"

"He's Jess, sweets, so wishing for anything more than suspiciously polite is pushing it."

Sighing, Rory replied, "He's different, now. More grown up."

"Oh, I'm sure."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Lorelai shook her head.

"Get your mind out of the gutter."

"You're no fun."

--

Jess maneuvered his way through the throng of people surrounding him in irritation. One more minute with any of the people that had been sitting around him and he honestly thought he would shoot himself. An old woman shoved past him as he walked into the terminal and he rolled his eyes.

Scanning the room for any sign of his overly-hyper girlfriend, he frowned a little when he didn't spot her. He dropped the one bag he'd brought next to a cheap, plastic chair and sat down in it a second later, ignoring the slightly disgruntled look of the woman a few chairs from him.

He probably looked like shit.

An extremely loud, extremely accented voice caught his attention and he glanced up at the two guys sitting a few chairs from him. They were arguing over something, the one with the accent getting smacked over the head every sentence or so. Jess smirked and the guy turned to look at him.

"What's your opinion on the matter, mate?"

Jess raised an eyebrow. "What matter?"

"See that girl over there?" the guy pointed at a red head a few yards away. Jess glanced at the girl and nodded. "You think the hair is natural or dyed?" he asked seriously. Jess smirked again and glanced back at the red head.

"Dyed," he decided. The guy grinned at him and stood before sitting down next to him and holding out his hand.

"Smart man," the guy grinned again. "Finn," he shook Jess's hand enthusiastically.

"Jess," he returned uneasily. The other guy rolled his eyes and joined them, sitting on the other side of Finn with a sigh.

"Colin," he offered. "And the hair is natural."

"According to our new friend Jess, here, the hair is dyed. He looks a lot more intelligent than _you_, so I think I'm going to trust his judgment." Jess chuckled.

"You just had to take this idiot's side, didn't you?"

"Just telling it like it is," Jess said innocently. He caught a glimpse of his girlfriend as she made her way through the terminal toward him, a cup of coffee in her hand. He grinned.

"I am so sorry I'm late," she apologized and kissed him quickly, failing to notice the two guys sitting next to him. "Traffic was insane and I left late because there was some last minute rewriting I had to do-"

"It's fine," Jess promised. He kissed her again and stood while Rory let out a breath and smiled at him.

"So _you're_ the guy!" Finn proclaimed. Colin's eyes were narrowed and Rory jumped when she noticed the pair. Jess furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Finn, Colin," Rory smiled. "What are you two doing here?"

"Logan had some sort of meeting to attend in…" Finn paused. "Somewhere," he decided.

"Oh," she nodded. "Sounds like fun."

"Sucks for him, but good for us." He whispered conspiratorially, "We get more chicks when he's gone." Colin cuffed him on the back of the head and Finn glared. Rory snickered.

"Glad to hear it," she nodded. "So you've already met Jess?" she looked at her boyfriend. His arm was wrapped around her waist possessively, jaw set from the mention of Logan.

"He was the deciding opinion in an argument that was leading nowhere," Finn nodded.

"You have arguments that lead anywhere else?"

"Occasionally. You picked a good one," Finn nodded. "Intelligent guy, this one." Rory smiled.

"He is, isn't he?" she laughed. Colin continued to glare at the pair and Finn frowned but said nothing. Jess picked his bag up off the floor and Rory intertwined her fingers with his as she took the last sip of her coffee. "Right," she said awkwardly. "Well, we should be going."

"Go! Have fun, explore the fantastic world of New Haven," Finn grinned. "Nice meeting you," he nodded to Jess. Jess nodded shortly and the couple left, hands tangled together as they sauntered through the airport.

Finn turned to Colin, "What's your problem?"

"I don't like him," Colin shook his head.

"You don't like anyone," Finn rolled his eyes. Colin smacked his head again and he let out a cry of pain on impact. The red head turned her head and smiled at the pair, sufficiently ending the conversation as they both rushed out of their chairs to talk to her.

--

She spared a glance at him as she pulled into the driveway of her apartment building and frowned. Aside from a small amount of conversation when they left the airport, he hadn't said anything for the entire drive. She parked the car and turned to face him, unlatching her seat belt as she leaned her head against the seat with a sigh.

"Something wrong? Or are you practicing your Silent Bob impersonation?"

Jess looked over at her and rolled his eyes. "No, and no," he smirked. "Just thinking."

"That brain seems to be in overdrive lately," Rory frowned. "Everything's okay?"

"Fine," he promised, leaning over to kiss her gently. She smiled against his mouth and he tangled his hands in her hair, the center console of the small car becoming a rather large obstacle as they tried – and failed – to get closer to each other.

"We don't have room for you to stay at the apartment," Rory frowned as they parted, her breath coming in short gasps. Jess shrugged.

"I'll get a hotel room."

"With room for me?" she smiled. He paused to contemplate the question and she smacked him in the shoulder. "Mean," she grumbled.

Chuckling, he kissed her again. "Paris won't have an aneurism if you aren't there to beat up on?"

"She has Doyle," she nodded. "I think she'll survive."

"Then why are we still sitting in the parking lot?"

"I can't exactly drive when you're-" he kissed her again and she sighed against his mouth while his hands trailed up her thighs to wrap around her hips. "-doing that," she finished when they parted. Jess turned his attention to her neck and then pulled back abruptly. Rory frowned mightily.

"Then drive," he gestured toward the steering wheel and she rolled her eyes with a laugh as she stuck her key back in the ignition and started the car.


	4. Short Dark and Handsome

Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own them.

A/N: I know; it's been way too long since I last updated this story. I feel terrible about it but I'm here! And I'll be out of school for the summer in a few weeks and after that I'll be able to update a lot more often. Assuming my muse doesn't run off to Canada, of course.

There are a lot of things I want to do with this story, and I'm hoping to finish this soon. I appreciate all the reviews I've gotten more than I can say, and it makes me smile every time I see a new email in my inbox about a review for this story. Now: leave me another one and make my day? Please?

--

Rory quirked her mouth as she went over the layout for the paper – again – and sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. It wasn't where it needed to be and deadline was in just a few hours. Two stories were missing, Paris was having a heart attack over her latest journalistic adventure, and the day was just all-around bad.

It didn't help that Logan kept trying to distract her. He'd brought her flowers and begged for a solid five minutes for a chance to talk with her. She had rolled her eyes and asked Paris to assist her in making him leave, and he left the roses on her desk when he did.

They were in the trash before he was even out of the room.

With a frustrated groan, Rory dropped down in her chair and put her head in her hands, determined to finish her work and go home for the night. She wasn't in the mood to stay and listen to the excuses that she was sure everyone had thought up, and to be honest she just wanted to sleep.

And she wanted to go see Jess. And eat dinner. Oh God, dinner sounded good.

Her cell phone rang and she answered it hastily, not bothering to check the caller id. She just wanted human interaction… outside of her office, because her staff was seriously starting to get on her nerves. "Hello?" she gasped, exasperated.

"Bad day?"

Rory smiled and laid her head down on her desk, closing her eyes tiredly. "You have no idea. How's the publicity going?"

"Well, the guy never showed up. So I see no reason to stick around and convince people to buy his book if he can't even come to New Haven for a signing," Jess returned, annoyed. "How's the layout?"

"Disastrous," she nodded, the desk cool against her cheek. "I think I'm losing hair."

"If anyone asks, I'm telling them you're a leukemia victim," he joked.

"You're terrible."

"Did you expect a different response?"

"A little sympathy would be nice," she replied. "You'd think you would be nicer to your poor, hair-losing girlfriend."

He chuckled lightly and she smiled in turn, eyelids fluttering slightly. "Tell you what," he offered, "Finish the layout, behead those who get on your nerves, and I'll help you hide the bodies after I take you out to dinner. Sound good?"

Rory's smile widened and she sat up slowly, propping her head on her palm as she rested her elbow against the desk. "Indian?"

"I can't burn down a hotel room without having to pay for the damages," he argued.

"Can we go to Luke's, then?"

"Stars Hollow?"

"Please, Jess?" she pouted for the benefit of her computer. "You've been here two days and you still haven't gone to see Luke."

"I just saw Luke last week," Jess retorted. "Bookstore, remember?"

She rolled her eyes, "Is there a rule where you can't see him more than once a month?"

"He'll make me wait tables," he warned her. "I'll be cleaning all night and you won't get any of my attention."

"What if I just keep ordering food?" she grinned. "Then you'll have to pay attention to me."

Jess sighed reluctantly and she bit her lip, fighting back a triumphant smile. She heard him laugh a moment later and he sighed again before conceding. "If Miss Patty so much as leers at me-"

"-I will ask the devil to have her sent straight to hell when she dies," Rory promised. "I'll call you when I finish this."

"Good luck."

Rolling her eyes, she thanked him and hung up the phone. Considerably more cheerful, she left her cubicle and wandered into the main room of the office, demanding that stories be turned in as soon as possible or she was going to make the layout work without them. She had places to be, people to see, and her life was not designed to revolve around the Yale Daily News.

--

The bell above the door rang and most of the customers glanced up, eyes widening comically at who they saw passing through the threshold. Rory rolled her eyes and tightened her grip on Jess' hand, leading him to the counter and taking a seat. Whispers broke out across the room and she rolled her eyes again, sighing as Jess sat next to her.

"Forgot about the gossip factor," he smirked. "How long do you think it'll take before the whole town knows I'm back?"

She cocked her head to the side in consideration, shedding her coat and dropping it onto the empty stool next to her. Finally she shrugged and turned her head to look at him, resting her elbows on the counter. "Five, ten minutes?"

Nodding in agreement, he smirked at her and leaned over to kiss her gently, only to have a wet rag hit him in the arm a second later. Jess protested and turned away from her as Luke glared at him.

"No PDA in my diner," he pointed at his nephew good-naturedly. Rory rolled her eyes.

"Unless it's you and mom, right?" she teased. Luke reddened slightly and folded his arms across his chest, shaking his head. He regained his composure quickly and grinned.

"Couldn't resist stirring things up while you're here?" he nodded at the customers who were openly gawking at the pair with a smirk. "I think Kirk may have a heart attack when he sees you."

"That's a bad thing?" Jess questioned, furrowing his brow. His girlfriend rolled her eyes and smacked him in the bicep. He opened his mouth to protest and she shook her head warningly, telling him to be nice or she would shove him in the lake.

Luke rolled his eyes and left them alone, snapping at everyone to mind their own business as he methodically started refilling coffees. Once he was out of earshot Jess turned to Rory with a glint in his eyes. She raised an eyebrow and he grinned, leaning closer to her until his lips were touching her ear.

"I always thought you would like it wet."

Blushing profusely, she gasped indignantly and opened her mouth to yell at him. He cut her off with a kiss and she forgot her argument when his tongue slid against hers.

--

Jess sat down on the bridge with a sigh, letting his feet dangle over the water as she sat down next to him. She was still giggling and he turned to glare at her, refusing to find humor in the situation. Rolling her eyes, she smacked him in the shoulder playfully and grinned, giggles subsiding.

"Come on, it's a little funny."

"My ass, Ror," he argued, shuddering. Her grin widened and he rolled his eyes as she burst into a whole new fit of laughter, lying back on the bridge as she gasped to catch her breath.

"It didn't even take ten minutes!" she laughed and looked over at him as he lay back beside her.

"You owe me," he swore, drumming his fingers on his stomach. She nodded her head in agreement, closing her eyes gently. A comfortable silence settled over them, only broken when she giggled a few minutes later. Jess groaned and Rory laughed again, brightly.

She glanced at him, "She's lonely, Jess, she hasn't managed to find another husband yet."

"Well I'm not it," he grimaced. "And I told you Luke would make me work."

"That's because we were making out at the counter," she argued.

"Not my fault you only want me for my body."

Rory swatted at him and he caught her hands with a laugh, capturing her mouth in a heated kiss as they fell back on the bridge together. She sighed against his mouth and ran her hands down his back, smiling at him as he pushed her hair out of her face. Adjusting so that she was more comfortable, she tangled her fingers in his hair and dragged him down for another kiss. Jess pulled his mouth away from hers, trailing it across her jaw and down her neck, pausing momentarily to suck at her pulse point.

"Jess," she gasped and closed her eyes, arching her neck to give him more room. He smiled against her skin and she dug her nails into his shoulders, sliding her fingers into his hair and angling him back up for another kiss.

She rested her forehead against his after a moment and breathed in greedily, exhaling slowly against his mouth. She smiled and shook her head, pushing him off of her gently as she sat up. Jess raised an eyebrow and she rolled her eyes, gesturing around her at the open air.

"We're in public, Dodger," she laughed at his indignant expression and he shrugged, sitting up and pressing his mouth against her temple softly. Rory melted a little and he trailed kisses down the side of her face, barely brushing his lips against her skin.

Her eyes fluttered shut and she didn't protest when he kissed her again.

--

Lorelai laughed loudly and Rory smiled, running a towel through her hair as she walked into her bedroom. Her mother continued to snicker and she giggled in reply, flopping down on her bed with a contented sigh.

"So, wait, Luke made him work and Miss Patty pinched his butt instead of giving him a tip?"

"You are getting far too much pleasure out of this," Rory scolded.

"I wish I would've been there," Lorelai replied, ignoring her. "Did you take pictures?"

"No, unfortunately my aptitude for photography was never discovered," she sighed mournfully. Lorelai's pout was almost audible. Rory laughed again.

"And Luke kicked you out of the diner for kissing?"

"Yes," Rory blushed, fidgeting with the hem of the t-shirt she was wearing. "Jess was too scarred by the incident to retort, so we just left."

Lorelai snickered, "Still wish I would've been there."

"Be nice."

"No fun!"

"Evil woman," Rory shook her head.

"Fun-sucker," Lorelai retorted. Rory blinked, furrowing her brow as she stared at the ceiling.

"Did you seriously just quote Freaky Friday?"

"Yes, and your point?"

"Lindsay Lohan, Mom."

"Oh. Ew."

--

She walked into her office and sighed as she set her coffee on her desk, saying goodbye to her boyfriend before snapping her phone shut and dropping it onto her chair. Someone was yelling outside of her cubicle and it took her a minute to realize who it was.

And it took her another minute to figure out who was being yelled at.

When she did, she smiled. Paris continued to rant, interrupted occasionally by a very annoyed-sounding Logan. Her voice got louder each time he spoke and Rory snickered as she left her small cubicle to find out what was going on.

"You're distracting and annoying and I'm really tired of the emo crap!" Paris shouted. "I don't care if you want her back; it's not going to happen because she's come to her senses and moved on! Though I'm not exactly the biggest fan of her new boyfriend, at least he treats her better than you, you jackass!"

Logan's jaw dropped and he stepped back as though he'd been slapped. "New boyfriend?"

"New-old, whatever," Paris waved her hand flippantly and plopped down in her chair with a huff. Her brow was furrowed in annoyance and she stared at him blankly, trying to figure out why the hell he was still standing there.

"Paris, is it really appropriate to be debating my love life in the office?" Rory smirked and walked over to the pair, turning to Logan when Paris frowned. "And I believe I asked you to finish your story and have it on my desk by this morning, am I right?"

"I-"

"No excuses, Logan," she cut him off. "I want that story by this afternoon or I'm writing it myself."

"Can we just talk? Five minutes," he requested. Rory pressed her lips into a thin line and shook her head resolutely.

"I don't need to talk to you to edit and rewrite your article, Logan."

He rolled his eyes, "Not about the article, Ace."

"I believe I asked you to stop calling me that," she replied, rolling her eyes as she turned on her heel and started heading back toward her office. "Get me the article or tell me to start writing now. I'll have it done by the time I have to leave tonight if I start within the next ten minutes," she continued impatiently. He rested his hand on her shoulder and she jerked away from his touch, turning back around to face him.

"Come on, Rory, a new guy? You don't have to lie to me."

She smiled and shook her head. "You are really clueless, you know that?"

"Rory," Logan groaned and tilted his head back in exasperation. She crossed her arms in front of her chest defensively and he sighed as he looked back at her. Raising an eyebrow, she tapped her foot impatiently. "Can I take you out to dinner tonight?"

Looking at her bare wrist, she shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "Woops, sorry, times up. I've got extra work to do now, so I guess that's a no." Her eyes narrowed and he stared at her for a while before Paris spoke up from her desk just a few feet away.

"I believe she's asking you to leave," she said pointedly. Logan turned to look at her while Rory continued to glare at him and Paris shrugged her shoulders. "And she's going out to dinner with her boyfriend tonight, so I guess you're SOL no matter what!"

When he turned back around, the door to Rory's cubicle was shut and she ignored him when he knocked to get her attention. Paris snickered under her breath and he groaned, irritated, before stomping out of the office to go meet Colin and Finn.

--

"You need another drink, mate," Finn decided, gesturing to the waitress. Logan rolled his eyes and picked the cue ball up from the floor, dropping it onto the pool table with a clunk. Colin furrowed his brow and took a sip of his beer, leaning back against the wall as he watched his friend make the ball jump again.

"Or maybe he needs to be cut off," he cocked his head to the side in contemplation. Finn rolled his eyes and asked the waitress to bring them another round.

"Shut up, both of you," Logan snapped, running a hand through his hair. Their eyes widened simultaneously and they both opened their mouths to respond.

Finn answered first. "What'd the little minx do this time?"

"Man, you are seriously hung up on this girl," Colin shook his head. Logan groaned and closed his eyes in annoyance. "And she's all over that other guy now," Colin continued. "Your best bet is probably to just get over her."

"Babe watch!" Finn proclaimed, automatically turning to scout the bar for someone to take Logan's ex off his mind.

Logan rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "I don't need a distraction, Finn; I need her to listen to me." He turned to Colin, "And what other guy?"

"His name is Jess," Finn offered helpfully, nodding. "Much smarter than this idiot," he pointed at Colin and got smacked in the head in retaliation. He cried out in protest and Logan's eyes widened, fists clenching around his pool stick.

"Jess?"

"Yeah, Finn's new boy-crush," Colin agreed. Finn glared and Colin shrugged his shoulders innocently. Their attention turned toward Logan when he let out a groan of frustration and they both frowned.

"What'd he look like?"

"Short," Colin offered.

"Dark and handsome," Finn elaborated. Logan nodded and flung the stick onto the table, prompting his friends to jump out of the way when it skittered across the table and fell to the floor with a bang.

--

He opened the door and she held up two bags, both filled to the brim with Chinese food. She grinned at him and he kissed her cheek as he let her into his hotel room, shutting the door quietly behind her as she wandered over to the bed and dropped the bags onto the mattress.

"We did decide on conquering the chicken column again, right?"

"You and Lorelai conquered it last time, I had nothing to do with it," Jess argued. Rory smiled and turned around.

"I remember that! She offered you left-overs the next day," she proclaimed. "That was the first time you two ever spoke civilly without my assistance," she laughed and stepped closer to him, lacing her arms around his neck as he rested his hands on her hips.

He rolled his eyes, "Right before she accused me of stealing your bracelet."

"Ah," she smiled and kissed him softly. "But you did steal my bracelet," she whispered, laughing quietly. He shrugged and kissed her again, pressing her against him before letting go and wandering over to the bed.

Starting to sort out the mass of cartons, he shrugged his shoulders again and scratched the back of his head. Without turning to look at her he replied, "Not the point."

Rory snickered and held back her comment as she sat down on the bed and started to eat. They could banter after she was full.


	5. No Recollection of This Alleged Event

Disclaimer: I still don't own these characters.

A/N: Okay, so my updating habits are fairly odd. I'm not the most consistent when it comes to my updating, and part of that is because I get distracted and sidetracked and blah, blah, blah. But this story will be wrapping up within the next few chapters, and I want to thank you all for being so patient with me. I know it's been annoying, but I really do appreciate every review and every person that even just reads this story. It means a lot and I hope you continue to enjoy.

--

The phone rang and she groaned in irritation, snuggling closer to him under the covers. He sighed and ran his hand down her back, kissing the top of her head lightly. "You gonna get that?" he slurred, still half-asleep. Cracking an eye open, he read the time on the clock and scoffed, closing his eyes again and turning on his side so that he was facing her.

"Evil person," she grumbled, frowning with her eyes still closed. "What time is it?"

"Three," he retorted. She gasped indignantly and leaned into him momentarily before crawling off the bed and stumbling over to her bag. Her cell phone was jammed between a textbook and a shoe, and she yanked it out with some difficulty. Jess buried himself under the covers and pulled the pillow over his head, grumbling to himself.

Rory smiled at his antics and answered the phone just before it went to voicemail. "Whoever you are, I hate you," she complained petulantly. There was silence for a second and she frowned, lying back on the carpet with a tired sigh.

Then a familiar voice was yelling by the receiver and she winced, pulling the phone away from here ear. "Paris?"

"He's driving me crazy, Rory, I'm about to have the guy down the hall come pistol-whip him."

"Who?"

"Who do you think!"

She sighed and rolled over on her stomach, burying her face in the carpet momentarily. It was coarse against her skin and she could smell Febreze. "Paris," she moaned. "It's three in the morning; I don't know who you're talking about."

"Logan!"

Rory's eyes opened slowly and she sat up at the same pace, absorbing the name. "What? What is he doing there?"

"Looking for you, because he knows about Jess. I don't know how he found out since I don't name names and thinking about you and Kerouac makes me a little ill, but he knows and he's here and he's driving me crazy!"

She groaned and stood, making her way back to the bed. Jess' head was still buried under the pillow and she smiled softly, crawling onto the mattress. She sat on her knees next to him and traced designs on his back, idly making patterns that she wouldn't remember once she was asleep again.

His muscles clenched and relaxed under her touch, and she slowly lowered herself to sit on her butt as she continued to make paths along his spine.

"Tell him to go home and that I'll talk to him tomorrow. Whatever you do, don't tell him where I am."

"He thinks you're in Stars Hollow," Paris said. Her voice was rising in volume and Rory could hear Logan's distinct shout in the background. It was muffled, though, and she knew that he was still standing in the hallway.

"Tell him I'm not in Stars Hollow, then," she yawned and lay down next to her boyfriend, nudging him in the side lightly. Jess lifted the pillow off his head and glared sleepily at her. She smiled brightly, slightly more awake as she talked to her friend. He rolled his eyes and snaked his arm around her, pulling her body against his under the sheets.

Paris sighed, "He won't go away. Can't I tell him you're staying in an abandoned warehouse making sweet, sweet love to Jess so that he'll go and try to track you down?"

"What would that do?"

"It would send him far away from here!"

"Paris," Rory sighed. Jess kissed her shoulder lightly and she blushed, trying to ignore his hand as it slipped down her body. His fingers brushed against the waistband of her underwear and she swallowed hard as he started to pull up the t-shirt she'd stolen from him. "Tell Logan that we will talk in the morning." His hand stopped its movements and she frowned, turning her head to look at him.

"Fine, but if I'm arrested for murder tomorrow I'm telling them you convinced me to do it."

"Fair enough," she nodded and hung up, tossing the phone to the floor. Turning her attention to Jess, she propped her chin on her palm and smiled at him. "Hi," she whispered.

"Logan's looking for you?"

"Apparently he's being weird possessive ex-boyfriend guy," she told him quietly, leaning down to kiss him. He pulled back slightly and she sighed. "Jess, what?"

"Why does he care where you are?"

"Because he's weird?" He sighed heavily and she groaned. "I don't know, Jess. I just don't." After a moment he nodded and pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her tightly. She smiled and leaned closer to him. "Now will you please kiss me?" her question washed across his mouth just before she covered it with her own.

--

Finn sat down next to his friend and smiled indulgently. "You know, Mate, when the girl's not home you're supposed to go back to the bar."

Logan rolled his eyes and drummed his fingers against his knees. "What are you doing here?"

"Came to check on you. You left in a hurry and didn't come back; got concerned."

"Since when are you concerned about anything but booze and girls?"

Finn thought for a moment and then grinned. "Since now." Logan snorted and stood, offering a hand to help his friend up. Accepting it, Finn stood as well and stumbled slightly as they descended the stairs.

"She's off with _Jess_," Logan spat.

"Nice guy," Finn commented. "Much smarter than Colin, but that's not so much of a surprise. Do you suppose him and…" he furrowed his brow. "That girl of his are serious?"

"Rory? That girl?"

"Yes! Rory, that's the name. It always seems to slip my mind. Do you think Jess and Rory are serious?"

"I hope not," Logan sighed and left the apartment building, walking down the sidewalk with long, measure steps. He was quick, moving between people in his pursuit of a mindless fuck to get rid of thoughts of her, and Finn had no trouble keeping up.

The problem was that now that he knew who she was seeing, all he could think about was punching him. Author boy, high school sweetheart number two. Logan scoffed. It wasn't like they could be together – he lived in Pennsylvania, for God's sake.

"Hey, Logan?"

"What, Finn?"

"You seem a bit tense." Logan rolled his eyes.

--

Jess kissed her softly and tucked a strand of her wet hair behind her ear, smirking softly. "I'll see you after your classes?"

"Yes," she whispered, kissing him again before he left. He nodded and grabbed his keys off the nightstand, sending her a quick smile as he left the hotel room. When she heard the door close behind him, she sighed and turned her attention back to her phone call.

"He's been all tense since last night," Rory sighed and took a sip of her coffee, folding her legs underneath her on the bed. She set the cup back on the nightstand and listened as Lorelai repeated her sigh.

"Well, if my girlfriend's ex-boyfriend was looking for her at three in the morning I'd be a little tense too."

"You have a girlfriend? I always knew Luke wanted to get a sex-change."

"Oh, no, Rory. Mommy would never date a sex-change victim. I'm talking about Michel."

"Right, of course," she laughed and lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Sweets, it sounds to me like Jess is just concerned. Remember Dean?"

"But Logan's not Dean," Rory groaned. "And I didn't leave Jess for Dean! The thought never even crossed my mind."

"You did sleep with him a week after the Yale incident."

She paused and Lorelai sighed heavily. "That's not the point," Rory murmured softly.

"I know, baby. But if you want Jess to relax then you're going to have to get Logan to go away."

"How did he even find out? The last time I spoke to him I yelled at him about his article. And Paris didn't tell him, and he doesn't speak to Doyle. No one else knows about us except…" Rory's eyes widened and she sat up abruptly, her wet hair flying around her face.

"Except who? Rory? Rory, sweetie baby, don't leave me hanging here."

"I am going to _kill_ them!" she huffed and stood up, pulling Jess' discarded sweatshirt over her head. She slipped her feet into comfortable sneakers, thankful that she had thought to put on socks when she got out of the shower.

"Who are we killing?"

She grabbed her keys and a key-card for the room. "Finn and Colin. God, I can't believe they … they are so dead," she shook her head and slammed the door behind her, hastily making her way down the hall toward the stairs. She didn't feel like waiting for the elevator.

"Finn and Colin? Wait; are those the guys that busted Logan out of jail last year when you two stole the yacht?"

"Yes, and don't remind me of that. I'm trying to repress," Rory groaned and started down the stairs, shoving the key-card in her pocket and gripping her car key tightly in her hand.

"So you bonded with these two and had girl talk about Jess?" Lorelai asked, confused. Her daughter laughed and shook her head.

"No, they saw us at the airport when Jess got here. He didn't know who they were at the time and I wasn't aware they were there."

"Okay. Colin and Finn saw you at the airport and then turned around and told Logan that you're now dating Jess because …"

"Because they like to cause trouble!" Rory stated. Lorelai nodded.

"Well, obviously," she agreed, smiling slightly.

"Look, Mom, I've gotta go, but I'll call you later and let you know how things go. If Taylor calls you complaining about my murder rep and how it's putting a bad light on the town, don't be surprised."

She hung up before Lorelai could respond and stuck her cell phone in the pocket of the sweatshirt she was wearing, opening her car door and slipping into the driver's side. If Logan wanted to talk, she would talk. But right now she needed to find his friends and explain to them the consequences of causing complications in Rory Gilmore's love life.

--

The blinds opened and he moaned in pain, throwing an arm over his eyes to block the sunlight out. Whoever was in his house must've been really into torture, because no one in their right mind would open the curtains in someone's house after they had been out drinking the entire night before. It simply wasn't done.

"Good morning, Vietnam!" she called loudly, drawing out the vowels so that the expression was much longer than it should have been. He moaned again and attempted to turn over, instead falling off the couch and landing on the floor with a thump.

"Who the hell are you?" he wondered, his eyes still shut tightly to block out the light. Seriously, he _hated_ sunlight. Who was this girl and why was she trying to make him go blind?

"It's Rory, Finn," she crossed her arms in front of her chest and leaned back against the sliding glass door. "Would you mind telling me why you're talking to Logan about my love life?"

"What?"

"Don't play dumb with me," she snapped. Finn cracked an eye open and instantly regretted it. He moaned in discomfort and Rory rolled her eyes, annoyed. She wasn't in the mood to play games with him today, and he was staying at Logan's for the week and she didn't want to deal with her ex, either.

At the moment the youngest Huntzberger was out, and Finn was completely alone in the apartment that she had once shared with her blonde ex. "And I don't care if you're hung-over, it's your own fault for binge-drinking so often! Why does Logan know that I'm with Jess?"

"Jess? Oh, the one that Logan's got his panties in a twist about. How is he?"

Rory's jaw dropped. He couldn't be serious. "Why do you care?"

"Well, little miss I-love-sunshine, I do happen to wonder about people who take my side in arguments against Colin."

"Oh my God," she rolled her eyes and resisted the urge to smile. No matter how pissed off she was, the hung-over Aussie that was lying on the floor in front of her always managed to amuse her. "Jess is fine," she sighed and slumped her shoulders a bit, tapping her foot impatiently against the floor.

"Oh good!" he grinned and opened his eyes again, slowly, to find that the sun was a little less painful now. The look on her face seemed more scathing than the bright light, though, and he had to consciously resist the urge to close his eyes again. "Now what was it that you wanted, again?"

She stared at him, awe-struck. It wasn't possible for one person to be that slow. "I want to know why you and Colin told Logan about me and Jess!"

"Oh," he frowned and sat up slowly, looking at the coffee table as though it knew the answer to her question. "When did we do that?"

"Last night would be my guess."

He furrowed his brow. "Which bar were we at?"

"I don't know, Finn, where all did you go last night?"

"Well I'm not sure," he continued to stare at the coffee table in confusion. "Are you certain we told him about you and …"

"Jess."

"Right, Jess. Are you sure we told him about Jess?"

"The only other people that knew don't talk to Logan if they can avoid it," she sighed and pushed herself off the glass door, shaking her head back and forth. "You two saw us at the airport, so obviously you two told him."

"I have no recollection of this alleged event."

"The airport or telling Logan?"

"Oh, no, I remember the airport," Finn nodded seriously. "Red didn't want either of us and we never found out if her hair was dyed," he frowned. "Did you see her?"

"No, Finn."

"Because your input on the matter would be greatly appreciated—"

"—I don't have time for this," she groaned and walked past him on her way to the door. Finn fell back on the carpet and tilted his head back so he could watch her leave.

"Rory!" She stopped, but didn't turn. Her fingers clenched in the sleeves of Jess' sweatshirt and Finn laughed a little. "You might want to talk to Colin about your little mishap. He doesn't like your boy."

"Shocker," she mumbled, rolling her eyes as she opened the front door to leave. Logan's key froze in mid-air and she stood there dumbly, staring at him with wide eyes. His widened also and then he took in her appearance, noting with disapproval that he had never seen her over-sized sweatshirt before. He retracted his key and smirked a little as she clenched her fists in an obvious attempt to keep from snapping at him.

"Rory," he nodded briefly and folded his arms across his chest, eyeing her curiously. She nodded in turn and tucked her hair behind her ear, meeting his gaze full-on.

"Logan."


End file.
